Spartanburg County Planning and Development Department MINUTES Planning and Development Commission County Council Chambers, 4:30 p.m. June 6, 2017 Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Whit Kennedy, Chairman Toby McCall, Vice Chairman Doug Brackett, Secretary Jerry Gaines Les Green Martial Robichaud Harold Scruggs Donna Turner Williams Stewart Winslow None Bob Harkrader, Planning Director Joan Holliday, Deputy Planning Director John Harris, County Attorney Josh Henderson, Senior Planner Bonnie Gibbs, Development Coordinator NOTICE: Pursuant to Section 30-4-80 of the S.C. Code of Laws, the annual notice of meetings for this Commission was provided on or before January 1, 2015 via the County website. In addition, the Agenda for this Meeting was posted on the bulletin board at the entrance to the Administration Building as well as on the County's website and was emailed to all persons, organizations, and news media requesting notice. 1. Call to Order Whit Kennedy, Chairman, called the meeting to order. 2. Approval of Minutes Approval of the May 2, 2017 Minutes Donna Turner Williams made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Les Green seconded the motion. The motion carried with vote of 8 to 0 (Jerry Gaines arrived late). 1
3. Old Business None 4. New Business - None 5. Public Hearings a. Billy Hughes, Agent for Black Point Investments, Applicant on behalf of the property owner, Re-Imagine Converse Mill, LLC 200 High Street, Spartanburg, SC 29307 Tax Map Number: 3-13-00-309.00 Applicant seeks the following variance: To reduce the required parking for a multi-family use of 1.5 parking spaces per unit to the proposed 1.2 parking spaces per unit as required in Section 2.02-5 Off Street Parking and Loading, Table 6 Off Street Parking Requirements. Josh Henderson presented the following Staff Report. The Lofts at Converse Mill Variance Request 1: Required number of parking spaces a. Variance Application Submitted 05/09/2017 b. Variance Application Deadline 05/09/2017 c. Project Application Deadline 05/16/2017 d. Public Notice Herald Journal 05/17/2017 e. Variance Sign Posted on Property 05/22/2017 f. Adjoining Property owners notified 05/22/2017 g. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information Black Point Investments, Agent on behalf of Re-Imagine Converse Mill, LLC, property owner, has submitted a variance request for The Lofts at Converse Mill located at 200 High St., Spartanburg, SC. The existing mill is being proposed for an adaptive reuse to revitalize the mill into a multi-family apartment building consisting of 173 total units. This development is being reviewed by the National Parks Service (NPS) and the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). A variance is being requested to reduce the total number of required parking spaces for a multi-family apartment development from 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit to 1.2 parking spaces per dwelling unit as required in Section 2.02-5 Off Street Parking and Loading, Table 6 Off-Street Parking Requirements. Under this section, the total number of parking spaces required by the ordinance, based upon the 2
173 proposed dwelling units, is 260 parking spaces at 1.5 spaces per unit with an additional 1.0 parking space per 5 units for visitor parking. The total number of required spaces is 295. The applicant is proposing 35 visitor parking spaces, 25 spaces for public access to river amenities, and 210 parking spaces for resident parking. With 1.2 parking spaces per unit, the total number of resident parking spaces is 208. The request for a reduction in the total number of required parking spaces meets the four criteria for granting a variance as set forth in Section 5.02-2(2) of the ULMO and the SC Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act (SC Code of Laws, Title 6, Chapter 29). a) Extraordinary and exceptional conditions pertaining to the particular piece of property. The variance request meets these criteria. This property has extraordinary and exceptional conditions associated with it. Revitalizing existing mill projects and converting them into apartment buildings brings difficult nuances that cause issues with meeting all requirements for an apartment development. In this case, the existing site conditions, with regard to existing topography, cause minimal opportunities for the placement of the parking spaces. Allowing the reduction in the total number of required parking spaces to the proposed 1.2 parking spaces per dwelling unit would allow for the site to be developed without requiring additional fill to provide for additional pavement for parking. This will also help with the SHPO s requirements for redevelopment causing very minimal impact to the total site. b) Conditions do not generally apply to other property in the vicinity. The variance request meets these criteria. There are no other mill sites in the vicinity being converted to a multi-family apartment building. c) Effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict the utilization of the property. The variance request meets these criteria. The strict application of 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit will require additional fill and pavement which could cause concern with the SHPO s requirements for minimal impact to the total site. d) No substantial detriment to adjacent property or public good and character of area not harmed. The variance request meets these criteria. There would be no detriment to the adjacent property or the public good and the character of the area will not be harmed. The reduction in the total number of required parking spaces will not cause a negative impact on adjacent properties. 3
The staff recommends the variance request be granted. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Whit Kennedy, Chairman, opened the public hearing. Penny Berry, a resident, was sworn in. Ms. Berry lives at the bottom of Oakland St. She advised the Board that High Street is very narrow and only one vehicle can fit on the road. She asked how that would affect the people that live there and asked if road would be widened. Whit Kennedy advised that the developer would need to answer those questions. Roxanne Cloran, a resident, was sworn in. Ms. Cloran lives on High St. She asked about the development for access to the river. Whit Kennedy advised that the access by the river is owned by the power plant. Billy Hughes, the developer with Black Point Investments, was sworn in. Mr. Hughes advised the Board that the mill was built in 1903 and had been vacant since 1967. He advised that the project was a chance to revitalize the area and would also promote future growth. He explained that the apartments would be high end and would have high end amenities. The character of the building and the site were being reviewed by the South Carolina State Historic Preservations Office (SHPO). He advised that the building would have access on the front as well as the back and it would not be gated from the public. He also advised a typical only has one resident, which is part of the reason for the variance. Additionally, there were no parking spaces when the mill was constructed. He advised that a river easement is a possibility. Whit Kennedy closed the public hearing. b. Billy Hughes, Agent for Black Point Investments, Applicant on behalf of the property owner, Re-Imagine Converse Mill, LLC 200 High Street, Spartanburg, SC 29307 Tax Map Number: 3-13-00-309.00 Applicant seeks the following variance: To reduce the perpendicular parking stall requirement of 9 x 18 to the proposed 8.5 x 18 as required in Section 2.02-5 (4a) Parking Dimensions. Josh Henderson presented the following Staff Report: The Lofts at Converse Mill Variance Request 2: Parking Space Dimensions a. Variance Application Submitted 05/09/2017 4
b. Variance Application Deadline 05/09/2017 c. Project Application Deadline 05/16/2017 d. Public Notice Herald Journal 05/17/2017 e. Variance Sign Posted on Property 05/22/2017 f. Adjoining Property owners notified 05/22/2017 g. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information Black Point Investments, Agent on behalf of Re-Imagine Converse Mill, LLC, property owner, has submitted a variance request for The Lofts at Converse Mill located at 200 High St., Spartanburg, SC. The existing mill is being proposed for an adaptive reuse to revitalize the mill into a multi-family apartment building consisting of 173 total units. This development is being reviewed by the National Parks Service (NPS) and the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). A variance is being requested for the width of the proposed parking spaces from the required 9 x 18 to the proposed 8.5 x 18. According to Section 2.02-5 (4a) Parking Dimensions sites are allowed to have no more than 30% of the total required parking spaces be reduced to 8.5 x 18. The applicant is proposing 270 total parking spaces in which 210 of them are being proposed to be 8.5 x 18. The request for a reduction in the width of the proposed parking spaces meets the four criteria for granting a variance as set forth in Section 5.02-2(2) of the ULMO and the SC Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act (SC Code of Laws, Title 6, Chapter 29). e) Extraordinary and exceptional conditions pertaining to the particular piece of property. The variance request meets these criteria. This property has extraordinary and exceptional conditions associated with it. Revitalizing existing mill projects and converting them into apartment s buildings brings difficult nuances that cause issues with meeting all requirements for an apartment development. In this case, the existing site conditions with regard to topography cause minimal opportunities for the placement of the parking spaces. Allowing the reduction in the width of the parking spaces to the proposed 8.5 x 18 and not requiring additional fill to provide for additional pavement for parking will also help with the SHPO s requirements for the redevelopment causing very minimal impact to the total site. f) Conditions do not generally apply to other property in the vicinity. The variance request meets these criteria. There are no other mill sites in the vicinity being converted to a multi-family apartment building. 5
g) Effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict the utilization of the property. The variance request meets these criteria. The strict application of 9 x 18 parking spaces will require additional fill and pavement which could cause concern with the SHPO s requirements for minimal impact to the total site. h) No substantial detriment to adjacent property or public good and character of area not harmed. The variance request meets these criteria. There would be no detriment to the adjacent property or the public good and the character of the area will not be harmed. The reduction of the parking spaces to 8.5 x 18 will not cause a negative impact on adjacent properties. The staff recommends the variance request be granted. Whit Kennedy, Chairman, opened the public hearing. There were no speakers. Whit Kennedy closed the public hearing. 6. Discussion Items None 7. Unified Land Management Ordinance (No. O-99-015) A. Subdivisions 1. Major (Preliminary Plats) Josh Henderson presented the following Staff Reports. a. Bella Woods a. Plats and Application received 05/16/2017 b. Planning Commission deadline date 05/16/2017 c. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information South Tyger Properties has submitted an application for a singlefamily residential subdivision. The 36-acre project site is located off of Cocoa Road in Boiling Springs, SC and is currently vacant. The developer is proposing 41 single-family residential lots. The subdivision will have 2 new roads measuring 0.41 total miles, which will be dedicated to Spartanburg County for maintenance. 6
b. Traditions Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Bella Woods contingent upon receiving approvals from SCDHEC (septic), Spartanburg County Building codes (fire hydrant location), Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Cocoa Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regards to mailbox kiosks and their requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rights-of-way. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Douglas Brackett made a motion to conditionally grant the preliminary plat approval for Bella Woods contingent upon receiving approvals from SCDHEC (septic), Spartanburg County Building codes (fire hydrant location), Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Cocoa Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regard to mailbox kiosks and its requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rights-of-way. Jerry Gaines seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. a. Planning Commission Application received 05/16/2017 b. Planning Commission Deadline Date 05/16/2017 c. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information Holly Drive Properties, Inc., agent on behalf of George Griffin, property owner, has submitted an application for a patio home residential subdivision for a vacant parcel consisting of approximately 15.84 acres and is located on Vinyard Road at the intersection of Vinyard Road and Parris Bridge Road. The developer is proposing 64 single family patio home residential lots and 1 new road measuring approximately 0.31 total miles, which will be dedicated to Spartanburg County for maintenance. Common space required for the proposed patio home development at 10% of the 15.84 acres is 1.584 acres and the developer is proposing 2.63 total acres or 16.6%. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Traditions Patio Home Development 7
c. Peppermill contingent upon receiving approvals from Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location approval), Spartanburg County Engineering, provide 20 access to common area, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Vinyard Road and Parris Bridge Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regards to mailbox kiosks and their requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rightsof-way. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Les Green made a motion to conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Traditions Patio Home Development contingent upon receiving approvals from Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location approval), Spartanburg County Engineering, provide 20 access to common area, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Vinyard Road and Parris Bridge Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regard to mailbox kiosks and its requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rights-of-way. Donna Turner Williams seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. a. Planning Commission Application received 05/16/2017 b. Planning Commission Deadline Date 05/16/2017 c. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information Holly Drive Properties, Inc., agent on behalf of Deborah Mason, property owner, has submitted an application for a patio home residential subdivision for a parcel consisting of approximately 9.03 acres and located on Bible Church Road just west from the intersection of Bible Church Road and Rainbow Lake Road. The developer is proposing 12 single family patio home residential lots and 1 new road measuring approximately 0.12 total miles, which will be dedicated to Spartanburg County for maintenance. Existing residential structures will be removed during the development process. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Peppermill Patio Home Development 8
d. Oakland Farm contingent upon receiving approvals from SCDHEC (septic), Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location approval), Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Bible Church Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regards to mailbox kiosks and their requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rights-of-way. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Jerry Gaines made a motion to conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Peppermill Patio Home Development contingent upon receiving approvals from SCDHEC (septic), Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location approval), Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Bible Church Road. There will also need to be a conversation with the USPS with regard to mailbox kiosks and its requirements for having these placed throughout the subdivision. These will need to be shown on the revised preliminary plat and not located in Spartanburg County rights-of-way. Doug Brackett seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. b. Planning Commission Application received 05/16/2017 c. Planning Commission Deadline Date 05/16/2017 d. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 2. Background Information Mark III Properties has submitted an application for a patio home residential subdivision for a parcel consisting of approximately 42.03 acres and located on Mud Creek Road just north from the intersection of Mud Creek Road and Hwy. 9. The developer is proposing 173 single family patio home residential lots and 5 new roads measuring a total of approximately 1.19 total miles, which will be dedicated to Spartanburg County for maintenance. Common space required for the proposed patio home development at 10% of the 42.03 acres is 4.203 acres and the developer is proposing 4.45 total acres or 11%. Existing residential structures will be removed during the development process. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Oakland Farm Patio Home Development contingent upon receiving approvals from Spartanburg County Building 9
Codes (fire hydrant location approval), SCDOT, Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Mud Creek Road. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Les Green made a motion to conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for Oakland Farm Patio Home Development contingent upon receiving approvals from Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location approval), SCDOT, Spartanburg County Engineering, and clarification of property line along right-of-way of Mud Creek Road. Toby McCall seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. 2. Major (Final Plats)--None 3. Minor (Summary Plats) Josh Henderson requested the following to be read into the record as approved: a. Duncan Commercial Donna Turner Williams made a motion to read Duncan Commercial into the record as an approved Final Plat. Martial Robichaud seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. b. Peter Tsymbalyuk Doug Brackett made a motion to read Peter Tsymbalyuk into the record as an approved Final Plat. Toby McCall seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. c. Radion Subdivision Toby McCall made a motion to read Radion Subdivision into the record as an approved Final Plat. Les Green seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. d. Blue Maple Sec. 1 Toby McCall made a motion to read Blue Maple Sec. 1 into the record as an approved Final Plat. Donna Turner Williams seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. e. Alverson Farms Doug Brackett made a motion to read Alverson Farms into the record as an approved Final Plat. Donna Turner Williams seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. 10
f. Steve & Debra Bower Les Green made a motion to read Steve & Donna Bower into the record as an approved Final Plat. Toby McCall seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. 4. Minor (Private Road Developments) * - None 5. Minor (Family Property) * - None B. Land Development 1. Major (Preliminary Plats) None 2. Major (Final Plats) - None 3. Major (Site Plan) a. The Lofts at Converse Mill Variance Request 1: Required number of parking spaces Mr. Kennedy opened discussion among the Commissioners. Jerry Gaines advised that since the building already exists then it meets the standards by state law to grant a variance. Martial Robichaud made a motion to grant the variance based on the fact that it meets the four criteria as outlined in Staff s Recommendation. Donna Turner Williams seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. b. The Lofts at Converse Mill Variance Request 2: Parking Space Dimensions Mr. Kennedy opened discussion among the Commissioners Doug Brackett made a motion to grant the variance based on the fact that it meets the four criteria as outlined in Staff s Recommendation. Jerry Gaines seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. c. The Lofts at Converse Mill Site Plan Approval Josh Henderson presented the following Staff Report. a. Planning Commission Application received 05/09/2017 b. Planning Commission Deadline Date 05/16/2017 c. Planning Commission Meeting 06/06/2017 11
2. Background Information Black Point Investments, agent on behalf of Re-Imagine Converse Mill, LLC, property owner, has submitted an application to develop a multifamily apartment complex. The Lofts at Converse Mill development will revitalize the existing Converse Mill located at 200 High St., Spartanburg, SC. The existing mill is being proposed for an adaptive reuse to revitalize the mill into a multi-family apartment building consisting of 173 dwelling units and is located on a 10.86-acre parcel. Density will be allowed at an unlimited amount due to the frontage along E. Main St. which is an arterial road. The development is required to have Common Open Space at 1.63 acres (15%); however, the site layout provides for approximately 5.57 acres (51.29%). The existing building consists of a 33,604 sq. ft., 1-2 story section and a 47,273 sq. ft., 4 story section. The proposed 173 dwelling units will be located within both sections of the building. This development is being reviewed by the National Parks Service (NPS) and the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for inclusion into the National Historic Register of Historic Places. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for The Lofts at Converse Mill Apartments contingent upon receiving approval from Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location) and Spartanburg County Engineering. Mr. Henderson presented the Commission with an aerial view, site plan, and street view of the property. Martial Robichaud asked about the Right of Way access including for emergency vehicles. David Booth, Land Design, advised that he had spoken with Roads and Bridges regarding those issues and the Right of Way along Oakland St. appeared to vary from 52 to 32. Donna Turner Williams made a motion to conditionally grant preliminary plat approval for The Lofts at Converse Mill Apartments contingent upon receiving approval from Spartanburg County Building Codes (fire hydrant location) and Spartanburg County Engineering. Les Green seconded the motion. The motion carried 9 to 0. 4. Minor (Summary Plats) - None 5. Major (Summary Plats) - None 6. Preliminary Extension Request - None 8. Proposed Amendments - None 9. Other Business 12
10. Adjournment a. Monthly Subdivision and Land Use Report All Commissioners received a copy. b. Area Performance Planning Update Bob Harkrader advised the Board that there will be a Technical Advisory Committee meeting on June 14 th, 2017. Mr. Harkrader anticipates to have a presentation for the Board soon. There being no other business, Doug Brackett made a motion to adjourn. Jerry Gaines seconded the motion. The motion carried with a vote of 9 to 0. The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. By: Doug Brackett, Planning Commission Secretary Prepared by: Planning and Development Department Staff 13